fieldherping.eu

Along that edge at the Skadar lake, there are also some swampy areas where that specimen comes from and where ammo jump into the water, ?right Mario?, you told me so. I assume that diving behavior is nothing more than a quick, successful escape behavior. No one has seen them diving for fish and frogs. Even though, I would never doubt, that one or the other specimen occasionally gets one of those water aquatic creatures, similar as a dice snake may consume a mouse (already proven).

I presume, that the mid-adriatic region offers a warm climate in a somewhat shadier surrounding than along the drier remainder of most of the adriatic coast. In association with the water, the colorful ammos occur. The colorful ammos probably extend into Albania at least. In Greece, the phylogenetic influence of another ammo group may overturn the color variation of MN, and possibly Albania, ammos.

Konrad

Well, I always hesitate to make so much advertising for the colorful Ada-Bojano ammos. I presume, all you readers would like to have some of those, right? Now even more than before. Already lot's of commercial dealers are heading that way, as you told me so Mario, and me as well had some personal experience. Depending on how this develops, we may unintentionally promote such an exploitation, incl. my own webalbum I made from that area some years ago. But I have stopped promoting it so far until I know how to put into the right perspective.

K

@ Konrad,

yes, I know, it might be a problem to advertise such nice color morphs via the web.

But, on the other hand, these morphs are well known to most of us - including snake keepers - since the book by Silvio Bruno in 1985: Le Vipere d´Italia e d`Europe (or ever earlier).
Pictures in this book have been the reason for me to visit this island too, first in 1987.
And as you also will know.
There seems to be no appreciable reduction in population density until today! On the contrary, density was lower (my observations) as long the complete island has been a nudist island (hotel, bungalows, camping) and was reachable only by a small ferry, up to 1989.

I do not think I have understood correctly: the color red should be due to the fact that these Ammodytes often plunge into a water rich in iron salts?

I think we should worry about this rather:
http://www.demaniore.com/opencms/opencm ... 1827-0.pdf

that any enthusiast going to "save" one or two copies of these spectacular vipers!

soon bulldozers and graders they may say the word end on this topic!

Why do not we rent all of us?
http://www.demaniore.com/opencms/opencm ... to-Outside

to continue my text from Friday, which did not work for technical reasons:

What price reach ammos on the US market today? Non-public info has come to me, that a major viper trading ring, with possibly 100s of vipers removed from natural populations has been detected. The animals are being sold to the US, where they have gained in popularity.

I have never visited the huge snake exposition in Hamm, Germany. But I heard from serious herpetologists about what happens on the parking lot in front of Expo Halls - testosterone loaded, illegal trading, all is out of reach of the Expo organizers. Would be interesting to know, how many Ada-Bojano ammos are changing owners there, and how many are traded over the internet. Well, it's not my world, as I have not a single reptile at home. But, I hope my accounts give you some food for thoughts.

Konrad